Colonia Tovar, El Jarillo and La Troja were all left without electricity today, while areas of Caracas lost power starting last night. The affected areas in Caracas include Altamira, Bello Campo, Country Club, La Castellaneta, La Floresta and Palos Grandes.

Yesterday, former Minister of Energy Victor Poleo said in an interview that the country’s electrical system was the victim of a $17 billion “fraud” that saw money that was supposed to be invested in infrastructure and other projects diverted to private pockets.

Poleo also criticized the national government for putting politics ahead of common sense by appointing individuals with little engineering knowledge to work and operate the country’s grid. Poleo said:

This crisis was caused largely because in order to operate an electrical system you need engineers and skill. By putting military officers and non-professionals [to work at CORPOELEC], you’re causing the system to break.